8 videos: Eppard dash-cam footage remains sealed

Greene County teen Colby W. Eppard died January 1 following a police chase which ended when he allegedly began shooting at officers. FACEBOOK PHOTO

"The eight (8) videos you have requested will not be provided to you."

So says Lt. Todd Hopwood, spokesperson for the Albemarle County Police Department, who cites two sections of Virginia Code in denying a reporter the opportunity to view police videos that might shed some light on the last moments of the life of Colby Wade Eppard. The 18-year-old Stanardsville man died January 1 after allegedly stealing a patrol car, leading law enforcement officials on a three-jurisdiction pursuit, and firing at officers.

Similar denials were issued by Captain Charles Swingler of the Greene County Sheriff's Office and by Corinne Geller of the Virginia State Police, the entity leading the investigation. Apparently, they have that right.

"They don't have to release all of it, or any of it," says Alan Gernhardt, staff attorney for the Freedom of Information Advisory Council in Richmond. "It's in their discretion."

About two months ago, in a separate case, the City of Charlottesville exercised its discretion by releasing a video which showed a summertime police pursuit that ended up demolishing part of a house and, ultimately, raising questions about the propriety of chasing criminals on residential streets. On January 12, the perpetrator in that case, 17-year-old Tsaye Simpson, pleaded guilty as an adult to several crimes including eluding police, grand larceny, and entering a dwelling with the intent to commit larceny.

In the Colby Eppard case, the tragic events began when the young man allegedly caused an accident in a vehicle–- a 2002 Daewoo Nubira–- belonging to his aunt. While a Greene County Sheriff's Deputy pursued him on foot, Eppard allegedly stole the Deputy's patrol car (by smashing out a window with a rock) and later bragged to at least one bystander about turning the tables on law enforcement.

The boasts, according to recordings of scanner chatter recorded by NBC29, included Eppard allegedly saying, “I stalk my f****** prey.”

In southern Albemarle along Route 20, Eppard died in a hail of bullets, and many citizens still seek answers that might be provided by the various dash-cams. Lt. Hopwood says that internal investigations–- such as the one that preceded Albemarle's early-2008 release of the infamous pedestrian-in-a-wheelchair video–- need to conclude before that might occur.

"Once the internal investigation is completed," says Hopwood, "we'll sit down with the chief. I'm saying 'no' now, but it's not denied in perpetuity."

Correction: The middle name of Mr. Eppard is Wade, not Wayne. The error has been corrected above.

85 comments

For Gil Grissom ; that guy in the wheel chair had witnesses to what happened , it was in the city not some county road out in the sticks where only the bears , the deer and of course law enforcements finest bore witness!

As for no law enforcement officer WANTS to take a life thats Bull.So many of these guy are ex military that became cops just for the purpose of one day being able to shoot someone again just as they did in the middle east .Most came back "crazy" .Check it out, google police shootings and you'll see 78% are ex military .

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 7:45am

quote: "For Gasbag; remember the disabled man who was accidently struck by a county police car? That footage was released to the public, wasn’t it?"

Yes, but it was only released as some sort of proof that the pedestrian signal was red when the wheelchair was struck.

And it was released after the city police chief was told by his troops that there were no witnesses to this incident. The cops were so rushed to get to the hospital and charge the man in the wheelchair that they didn't have time to look for and talk to witnesses.

I don't care if the pedestrian signal was lit up like a Christmas tree, you still don't run over a man in a wheelchair in a crosswalk. And if you can't see something as big as a man in a wheelchair in a crosswalk, you need to be sent back to DMV to be tested again, a driving test and a visual test.

JK January 14th, 2010 | 7:51am

I understand that during a continuing investigation that tapes such as these may not be released. I understand that Colby Eppard's mother may not wish to see them in their entirety.
I do not understand why a few seconds of Mr. Eppard raising a gun to them followed by a few seconds of return fire cannot be released. The longer law enforcement takes to release even selected portions of dash-cam, the more suspect they become.
They need to understand that there are enough inept, cocky, obnoxious, inexperienced, or sadistic law enforcement officers out in the world who are not removed for years, that more and more ordinary law abiding citizens fear them, or have a story to tell which suggests wrongdoing on the part of the police.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 8:02am

quote: They need to understand that there are enough inept, cocky, obnoxious, inexperienced, or sadistic law enforcement officers out in the world who are not removed for years, that more and more ordinary law abiding citizens fear them, or have a story to tell which suggests wrongdoing on the part of the police."

Or people such as myself who have stories that clearly prove wrongdoing on their behalf. :)

Again though, I want to emphasize the fact that even though there are small bands of crooked cops locally, the majority of cops are honest decent hard working individuals.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 8:10am

quote: "As for no law enforcement officer WANTS to take a life thats Bull.So many of these guy are ex military that became cops just for the purpose of one day being able to shoot someone again just as they did in the middle east.

I will agree with you, in certain cases. Not all, but some. I might even say "way too many!"

Plus, you forgot the soldiers who go off to war, all hyped up by their violent video games and the prospect of acting it out in real life, and yet they return to the USA without ever achieving their first kill overseas. These guys are real dangerous when they return home and strap on a cop shoppe badge and gun!

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 17th, 2010 | 11:41am

Dakota, you can't educate morons.

They wouldn't be morons if you could. :)

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 9:17pm

quote: "Gasbag has a hard on for police officers or any LE officer. He was, (key word, WAS) an LE Officer at one time, until such time his employment was terminated."

Sheriffs in Virginia can hire and fire, at will, with or without cause. Happens every day in Virginia.

If you think you can embarrass me, all I can say is "good luck, Lucy!"

And just in cause you really are a new poster here, as opposed to like in another cop shoppe related thread where ONE person was using 24 different user names, let me bring you up to speed. I was fine with my career until a new incoming sheriff brought nepotism into our office by hiring and promoting his own son. I simply didn't give a damn about anything thereafter.

(This son just lost the Democratic nomination to runf or sheriff recently. Things didn't pan out as well as him and daddy thought they would. With a new young sheriff in office who can win re-election easily term after term, I doubt this 'son" will ever become sheriff now. And that tickles me to death.)

AugustaCounty January 15th, 2010 | 9:58pm

So Gasbag, let me get this straight..You are disgruntled regarding the Sheriff and nepotism; so you now have it out for all LE officers? WTF? Why not just have a heartburn for your Sheriff; in lieu of all LE? You knew going into this position that your employer can hire and fire you...so, not sure why there is all this anger.

Now, on the flip side of this, I know what you mean about nepotism. I do not believe in it and I too am tickled pink about the "not doing so well and didn't pan out as him and daddy thought).

Three ring circus: I was there and there certainly was not 35 cop shoppe cars on site. We can just agree to disagree on this.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 7:38am

Gil, nobody said (or should believe) that graphic video be released in this case. As I very clearly said above, when the time is right, release the few seconds of video where Colby Eppard raises a firearm in the direction of the cops. If anything is ever released, it will most likely simply be a few views of the pursuit in progress. Once Colby Eppard pulled over... you'll never see what happened, IMHO.

Roscoe Pudding, taint what jury pool? Colby Eppard won't be going to court. Or do you perhaps mean when the Eppard family sues the cops? You speak as if you know the Eppard family has a reason to end up in court with a jury trial. :)

Tina, they can destroy anything they want to destroy. If and when they do, they claim it was an "accident". This was proven in 1996 when 6 hours of audio tape from several different police frequencies were "accidentally destroyed" by the Charlottesville Albemarle 911 center.

And Tina, as far as all the dashcams being broken, that excuse has indeed been used in the past. In a dozen incidents involving one person, where video tape should have been available, not one inch was available. Even though one red headed stepchild rookie had a dashcam in his front windshield and one in his rear windshield. Even though the incidents were spread out over months, both of his dashcams were broken for months and months? In other words, the cops involved fabricated some tall tales and felt the judge would believe them. Well, he didn't.

Name (required): I think Gasbag was being a smartie by saying the bullets being fired at the motor home driver.
I never said there are not 35 law enforcement officers in the area, what I said was there is NEVER 35 officers on duty in the area ...ACPD, UVA, CHO, VSP might have 35 working at one particular time...but not between ACPD and VSP.

I am sure Gasbag was on the other side of the interstate with his camcorder...smoking his crack...or was that taking a nap?

I would love to have 35 officers working Albemarle County at one time.

Meri January 18th, 2010 | 2:14pm

This situation reminds me of a guy thats done a few wrongs and got noided out. Judging by his last words he must have thought LE were actually chasing him for something else. There was no reason to run from a car wreck as he described. A guilty conscience does it every time and the drugs don't help. Sounds like there is more to this story...

Dakota January 17th, 2010 | 11:05am

GSOE

Look's like a good opportunity for you to go into that thread and educate those moron's . I say both the "manager" and the LE involved with that issue need retraining .

Dakota

CAR January 20th, 2010 | 9:59am

To the moderator of this forum: GOSE states "And just in cause you really are a new poster here, as opposed to like in another cop shoppe related thread where ONE person was using 24 different user names, let me bring you up to speed."

Was this on one of the Hook's forums, and if so, how would he know one person had used 24 different user names? Is personal information released to individuals?

Albemarle Lifer March 5th, 2010 | 1:34am

deleted by moderator

Dakota February 14th, 2010 | 10:44pm

I guess it's ok ...but I am not ok with that scenario .

Dakota

Dakota February 12th, 2010 | 12:53pm

Sorry I missed you post WAY back crozetite .

Has anyone herad any further in this tragic incident . I am sure the investigation is over . When will the tapes be reviewed by an outside source ?

Dakota

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert February 12th, 2010 | 1:27pm

Dakota, pay attention this time please....

You will see and hear ONLY what the cop shoppes want you to see and hear. Unless it's a case where a civilian catches something on video and the civilian has sense enough to not let the cop shoppes know they have it.

OK?

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 16th, 2010 | 6:45pm

quote: "Skimming the various posts here reminds me that verbiage can often become chloroform disguised as pixels. Someone please wake me when there is a post about the eight videos, a single video, or even an update that is on topic."

I have to agree with you. Somebody asked why 8 tapes were requested by the media? And it went south after I tried to explain there's usually more than one cop shoppe car and one dashcam during a pursuit and at the scene of a critical incident thereafter.

Wake me too please. :)

yepper January 13th, 2010 | 7:50pm

they may yet release the tapes. calm down peeps. but let's consider the possibility that the events unfolded just as the police say. then all we'll be doing is letting some poor mother watch her child die.

Man Oh Man if this doesn't smell of something fishy. You watch , in a few weeks the cops well somehow erase all the tapes just a day before they get released.Mark my word.They just killed this kid because he made them look like Barney & Andy .Right aunt Bea ?

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 13th, 2010 | 5:19pm

All the public needs to see is the few seconds of video where Eppard allegedly aimed a firearm at the cops once he stepped out of the car. Why hide that few seconds and deny access to it if the cop shoppes want the public to believe their version of what took place?

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 13th, 2010 | 8:09pm

quote: "they may yet release the tapes. calm down peeps."

No thanks!

I've seen tapes "accidentally erased". Under subpoena in 1996, and after the first delay, the tapes were promised by close of the business day on the following Friday. On that Friday, I received a certified letter from the 911 director claiming the tapes requested had accidentally been erased. Yeah, sure they were!!!

About the same time, a 911 employee would have testified he was assigned to cut some tapes into pieces no longer than one inch!

Debbie Wyatt told me we would never see the tapes. By God, she was right!

Any time a video or audio tape implicates a law enforcement agency in wrongdoing, good luck getting your hands on them!

Time Bandit January 28th, 2010 | 9:00pm

This so called investigation is almost a month old, with nothing released to the public. Is the truth really that elusive within the Law Enforcement community?
What could be taking so long, if officers are being cooperative with the investigation?

yepper January 13th, 2010 | 8:38pm

re:"Any time a video or audio tape implicates a law enforcement agency in wrongdoing, good luck getting your hands on them!"

which is precisely why I asked you to imagine that events unfolded exactly as LE said. In that case, they will release the tapes and everyone will be able to watch this young man die.

Dakota Ive tried to find it myself with no luck The guys name was jim sandel jr. this happened about 4 years ago. If you find it let me know Ill keep trying but if" Da Law "can make tapes vanish they can also make stories disappear He was 40 from western ny

Jeff D January 14th, 2010 | 12:07am

There should also be audio recordings of the 'suspect' making violent threats towards the police during the chase. The police claimed such threats were made.

Perhaps the 'Investigation' could locate both the video and audio recordings and state publicly that this has been accomplished.

Can these guys find water in an ocean?

Tainting a jury pool? If there were a jury trial of any police personnell involved, I belive the news industry printing the police claims verbatim should constitute taining.

Tina January 13th, 2010 | 11:24pm

They can't destroy the tapes. Now let me here from Gasbag all the ways it has been done before. Too many people have already seen them. AGAIN...this is an ongoing investigation. And have you truly ever seen police dash-cam tape clips, that involved someone dying, shown on the local news? NOPE.
Thought everyone said that the dashcams were broken in the cars? Again, a bunch of gossip.
Unless you are watching Cops on tv..you simply don't get to witness this part of the Law. Get over it. If you want to see dash-cam tapes, become a cop.

Roscoe P Pudding January 13th, 2010 | 11:24pm

Fact Anything released now will taint the jury pool.

Fiction is what I see in the comments, ooooooh the conspiracy, ooooooh.

AugustaCounty January 13th, 2010 | 11:51pm

....and here we go again!!! Everyone needs to get off their high horse and let this investigation run it's course.

So, how is everyone doing? Hope you all are enjoying this weather...looks like we are going to hit 50 degrees tomorrow... ;)

orangejulious January 14th, 2010 | 9:22am

maybe the questions for the Hook to ask Longo would be

1) do tapes exist that show the actual shooting?

2) has he made sure that there are enough copies to make sure said tapes are not destroyed lost or stolen?

3) will he be willing to promise that once the investigation is over and with the families permisson , he would release the tapes or allow them to be viewed by the press in private?

Seems reasonable to me. I don't see why we shouldn't at least be told whehter tapes of the actual shooting exist or not. If he refuses to answer that question then I say villify him and claim coverup until he relents. He does after all work for us.

Caesonia January 14th, 2010 | 10:23am

CAR _ > I can understand your offense to the suggestion that retired military are looking for an excuse to shoot people. I am the offspring of plenty and they certainly do not.

But...

I have noticed those from the military that end up in police uniform all seem to have a habit of being bully-ish, and spend a lot of time dictating to people even when out of uniform and in the house of the person they dictate to. They like to give orders and always be in control, and they use the uniform as a way to do it. Some are just downright bullies.

When it comes to the police, I always am on my guard when they are ex military.

Tina January 14th, 2010 | 1:21am

Anyone listening to their scanners heard the same. The news media heard it!!!!!!!!!!

Gil Grissom January 14th, 2010 | 6:50am

Now that the "Conspiracy Theorists" have had their say, lets return to reality. Law Enforcement agencies usually do not release any portion of a case file when an investigation is ACTIVE-either criminal or civil/internal. That said, once the investigations are completed, discretion is used so that the family is given an option to view footage due to possible sensitive/graphic segments they may not want made public (i.e. remembering their loved one in that manner, seeing them killed while perpetrating criminal behaviors). Once that issue is dealt with, any FOIA request is examined by municipality legal personnel and a decision made. Should any portion of this media be too graphic, it may never be released to general public/media. If wrong doing on the part of the officers is captured, the tapes remain as evidence. The law enforcement personnel and their families are considered as well. So if some are you simply want to see blood letting, your thirst for violence may need to be satisfied by playing video games.

Gil Grissom January 14th, 2010 | 7:05am

Also remember that ultimately nobody gains anything in these situations. The young man, his family and friends, the officers and their families/friends lives' are changed forever. Rarely for the positive- nothing can ease suffering like this to any degree. And NO law enforcement officer ever WANTS to willingly take a life. It is something they are trained to do but hope they never have to do.

For Gasbag; remember the disabled man who was accidently struck by a county police car? That footage was released to the public, wasn't it?

Dakota January 14th, 2010 | 8:49am

Cozetite

quote: Ã¢â?¬Å?As for no law enforcement officer WANTS to take a life thats Bull.So many of these guy are ex military that became cops just for the purpose of one day being able to shoot someone again just as they did in the middle east.

I find that statement utterly ABSURD !

Dakota ------> scratches head

CAR January 14th, 2010 | 9:34am

That is not only absurd - it is insulting, and it is offensive. Many fine men and women serve our county in the military, me, my husband, my son, and daughter included. They serve with both pride and honor. And yes, some do become police, some become EMS, some become teachers, doctors, or nurses. Almost any profession has ex-military. Not a single one that I know, and having served I know many military members, joined just so they could go to a war zone to shoot others. And they don't come back "hyped up" waiting to shoot some person stateside. In this case Law Enforcement did what they were trained to do - enforce the law. Nothing more that that. And they continue to do what they should do - a professional investigation of the whole situation. Because they are not telling the public every small detail does not mean there is anything underhanded, illegal, or immoral going on.

Look a friend of mine was driving in Atlanta in a rental car .He got lost stopped at a Kroger store parking lot to get his bearings. Up drives an Atlanta cop pulls behind him ,calls for backup Because its a rental car in a bad neighborhood at 8pm. The backup arrives the walk up to the car ask him for his id .He reaches over to his wife's handbag to get it .They shot him 6 times hit her 2 times .The dash cams "didn't work on both cars " but the kicker is the store cameras captured it all on tape. The day before the trial the tapes which the cop had, got erased. Oh the four cops involved , Ex military back from the middle east less than 2 years. And yes he died . He was a beer salesman with 2 kids . The cops, Well they "Got Away With Murder"

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 11:29am

quote: "...I have noticed those from the military that end up in police uniform all seem to have a habit of being bully-ish... "

Did you ever see the video of the soldier in Iraq who took a small black and white puppy and threw it to it's death? And the video was posted on YouTube. The military took quick and decisive punitive actions against this moron.

So let me get this straight - most cops and ex-military are bullies and incompetent because of a couple of bad apples. So... most Catholic priests are pedophiles, most televangelists are adulterers, most university professors are left-wing elitists, most homosexuals are pedophiles, most teenagers are slackers and so on.

I can be a cynical as the next person, but really, people!

AugustaCounty January 14th, 2010 | 10:10pm

Gasbag, .....I was there my friend. I was one of the officers involved.
Hmm, we barely had 35 officers on the department ;)

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 1:46pm

Why eight? Hhmmm.....

I will never forget the time the cop shoppes chased a large motor home eastbound down Interstate 64 a few years back. I and my daughter were getting on the Interstate westbound to go to a church in Ivy, and I'm not kidding, there must have been a total of 35 cop shoppe cars behind him. It looked like a three ring circus. The first thing my then 13-year-old daughter asked me was, "Is all that really necessary!?" I just shook my head and laughed. :)

ACRONYM January 14th, 2010 | 1:34pm

Ã¢â?¬Å?The eight (8) videos you have requested will not be provided to you.”

Why eight (8)?

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 2:01pm

Cops do not want to be videotaped. Period!

And because of this they are now abusing the "illegal electronic surveillance" laws in various states to confiscate and destroy recordings.

This is the bottom line:
Gasbag has a hard on for police officers or any LE officer. He was, (key word, WAS) an LE Officer at one time, until such time his employment was terminated. Now, he is a professional blogger, who has nothing else to do but sit around an bad mouth an LE official. I have a hard time understanding why you bothered being a "cop" in the first place, if you hate them so much. I guess you couldn't handle it as a cop, now you just want to bash us.

not a sermon.... January 14th, 2010 | 6:20pm

This day in age, the police are accountable and want the facts to be timely and accurate. The young man lost his life for a bad choice he made and his family will have to suffer. The State Police are conducting a detailed factual investigation so correct final decisions may be made. I think some of the contributors are more interested satifying their need for viewing violence rather than what's best for society. What's the value in seeing a gunfight with a sad ending. Move On.

Dakota January 14th, 2010 | 7:53pm

Crozetite

Could you link me to the story about your friend and the incident in GA ?

TIA

Dakota

AugustaCounty January 14th, 2010 | 7:58pm

Crozetite: Please do provide the date this happened to your friend. I have googled every search engine I can and there is nothing matching your description. I find this hard to believe.

As for Gasbag, I remember that motor home incident very well and there were four (4) ACPD there and two (2) VSP. That would be 6; not 35. Thank you.

So, I guess my hubby should turn in his badge? He served his country and is also a police officer. He is still active duty military...guess he should resign that position too?

I find those comments about police officers also serving their country as "bully, cocky, killhappy"...I find those comments rude and unfair.
Maybe there are alot of (ex)military in law enforcement as some of you all don't the guts and bravery to do it....coupled with the fact that they like serving their country and community.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 14th, 2010 | 8:15pm

quote: "As for Gasbag, I remember that motor home incident very well and there were four (4) ACPD there and two (2) VSP. That would be 6; not 35. Thank you."

You are sadly mistaken. And unless you were there, whoever told you otherwise is a liar. You can pass the message on to them if you like.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 3:18pm

quote: "Nope, I do remember that accident on Rio Road and I know what officer was involved in that."

Come to think of it, at least 2 pedestrians have been killed by Albemarle County cop shoppe cars on Rio Road in recent memory. I guess it could happen to anybody... but I'll never understand how. I suppose you have to be there to really understand how it takes place.

So far, I have been able to avoid deer for my entire 43+ years of driving. It's quite easy to see their eyes light up on the side of the road if you're careful and observant. Too bad human eyes don't light up.

But, you know me, I also think it should be law that any pedestrian, wheelchair bound or not, should be required to carry a 10 foot aluminum pole with orange flags and blinking yellow lights on it when they see a cop shoppe car approaching a crosswalk. :)

bluesclues January 15th, 2010 | 9:26am

There sure are some gullible people in this world. Keep on believing all cops are good and would never try to cover things up. This is probably not true in this case but the term 'trust but verify' comes to mind.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 9:58am

quote: "There sure are some gullible people in this world. Keep on believing all cops are good and would never try to cover things up."

Amen, bluesclues!

One of the most notorious coverups that ever took place in this city and county was the time a UVA student was struck by a car in Crozet and supposedly dragged all the way to Charlottesville under a very low sports car. The truth still hasn't been exposed in that particular case. Most of the people involved in that case are passing away one by one. And it seems that most are hellbent on taking the secrets to the grave with them.

1963 - Police say the murder happened on Route 250 west near the current site of Blue Ridge Builder Supply. Nineteen-year-old Pat Akins was driving and had a friend in the car when they hit an embankment. Detectives say Akins was thrown from the car and when he went to stand up he was then hit by a Triumph convertible. The driver did not stop but police eventually found the car off McCormick Road with Akins's body underneath.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 1:57pm

quote: "Gasbag, ”Š..I was there my friend. I was one of the officers involved."

Please explain exactly how you were involved.

You claim your hubby is a cop. You now claim you are a cop. If you were involved, you should be able to tell us the suspect's name, in which county the pursuit ended, and the approximate year this took place.

You're not the girl who ran over a pedestrian and killed them on Rio Road, are you?

name (required) January 15th, 2010 | 12:27pm

GSOE wrote "it's become obvious that Augusta County and I don't seem to be speaking of the same event."

You both seem to agree on a motor home, I-64, and police pursuit. The only thing you two appear to disagree on is the amount of officers involved.

Between the pair of you there's plenty of information (whether separate incidents or not) to search on.

AC said the ACPD and the VSP participated.

You said your daughter was 13 at the time, so that would put the year this occurred, what, 2005? You've recently added the chase included a flurry of bullets.

One would think that a police pursuit (especially with gunfire) on a major Interstate would've caught the attention of media or the public enough to put it somewhere near the top of search engine results, not NOT in the results period.

name (required) January 15th, 2010 | 2:55pm

AC wrote "I think Gasbag was being a smartie by saying the bullets being fired at the motor home driver."

Oh. I’m kind of VERY literal-minded. That's why I also thought you meant there were 35 officers total.

Sorry to you and him for my misunderstanding.

GSOE wrote: "I can't find a link to this story no matter what search terms I use."

Me neither, and believe you me I can ROCK a search engine.

GSOE wrote "You're not the girl who ran over a pedestrian and killed them on Rio Road, are you?"

AC wrote "I told you that I was an officer ... I would have to full the report"

They let former officers have access to reports?

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 2:57pm

quote: "I’m very thankful that Gasbag uses boldface type for his posts, so I can just skim down a page, gauge how much of the same ol’ same ol’ is there, and decide whether or not to waste my time. Very helpful."

My use of bold font allows people to understand what I have just responded to and quoted above it. I have had a few compliments on the way I do things. But I am glad it also helps you in a better way. You're welcome.

name (required) January 15th, 2010 | 3:28pm

GSOE wrote "You know darn well it’s not about who is suppose to have access, or policy concerning who is to have access."

Actually the point I was going to make is that AugustaCounty has access to LE information though The Hook is being denied access to LE information.

GSOE wrote "All I have to do is make a phone call to any of a number of cop shoppe friends and I could have all the details before you could blink an eye."

Then why don't you? While you're at it, get one of your CSFs to give you copies of the Eppard footage.

GSOE wrote "But the fact is we’re not disputing the motorhome pursuit actually took place. We are debating how many cop shoppe cars were involved."

I, "name (required)," am not disputing or agreeing anything. I'm doing nothing more than looking for the facts so I can better form an opinion.

GSOE wrote "Come to think of it, at least 2 pedestrians have been killed by Albemarle County cop shoppe cars on Rio Road in recent memory."

You talking about ACPD Sgt. John Baber?

Hoolarious January 15th, 2010 | 2:23pm

I'm very thankful that Gasbag uses boldface type for his posts, so I can just skim down a page, gauge how much of the same ol' same ol' is there, and decide whether or not to waste my time. Very helpful.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 2:54pm

Well, it was a shot in the dark. I figured if you couldn't see a pedestrian in the roadway... you probablly couldn't see that 35 cop shoppe cars involved in the motorhome pursuit either. :)

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 1:41pm

Yes, I would guesstimate 3 to 4 years ago. I was accelerating up the westbound entrance ramp at the Scottsville exit to enter I-64, so I couldn't really count the cop shoppe cars. It was way way way more than 6 cop shoppe cars though. They were all headed eastbound. To be honest, it resembled the infamous O. J. Simpson slow speed pursuit if you recall the videos of that. :)

I do not recall if gunplay was involved or not.... I said the boy is lucky they didn't shoot and kill him swiss cheese style once he voluntarily stepped out of the motorhome. I think he had used the motorhome either in attempting to or possibly ramming a few cop shoppe cars.

I can't find a link to this story no matter what search terms I use. RV pursuit, motorhome, pursuit, Albemarle County, etc... Just can't locate a media link to the story at all right now for some reason. But it sure took place of course. I think it started with the suspect and his wife getting into a domestic argument. And it's quite possible that it finally ended in Louisa County.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 1:46pm

quote: "I am sure Gasbag was on the other side of the interstate with his camcorder”Šsmoking his crack”Šor was that taking a nap?"

Once I finished accelerating up the westbound Interstate 64 entrance ramp, merged into traffic, and set the cruise control on 80 mph... I proceeded to take a nap. All my daughter had to do was hold onto the steering wheel.

AugustaCounty January 15th, 2010 | 2:39pm

I told you that I was an officer; my hubby is both an officer in another jurisdiction and military.

To be honest gasbag I would have to full the report; however it was approximatly 2006 this occurred. The pursuit ENDED in Albemarle County. I am not sure of the suspects name. Do you realize how many pursuits I have been engaged in since 2006?

Nope, I do remember that accident on Rio Road and I know what officer was involved in that.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 3:05pm

quote: "They let former officers have access to reports?"

Ohh, good grief! You know darn well it's not about who is suppose to have access, or policy concerning who is to have access. All I have to do is make a phone call to any of a number of cop shoppe friends and I could have all the details before you could blink an eye.

But the fact is we're not disputing the motorhome pursuit actually took place. We are debating how many cop shoppe cars were involved. If you were to walk into a courthome and testify under oath that only 6 cop shoppe cars were involved, I would have a very serious problem with your testimony in any case in any courtroom. :)

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 4:16pm

Baber and Greenwood, in recent memory. Correct.

Back in the old Albemarle Sheriff days, before the Albemarle police cop shoppe was born, I just don't recall sheriff vehicles running over people. They knew George Bailey would kick them to the curb in a heartbeat if they did. It wasn't any of this "my officer did nothing wrong!" foolishness. :)

I don't care what any of the newcomers to the debates say, George Bailey ran a good department and kept crime to a bare minimum with 20% of the staff the new Albemarle cop shoppe now has. Sure, the population was less, less calls for service, but that's simplay a very handy excuse being used now to explain why crime is out of control.

I know you weren't disputing how many cop shoppe cars were involved in the motorhome pursuit, Augusta County was though.

AugustaCounty January 15th, 2010 | 8:05pm

...and for the record, I may not know the EXACT total number of patrol vehicles were at the scene of the motorhome incident, as this has been several years ago, having said that, I know darn good and well it was no where near 35. My best estimate is 6 to 10. MAX.

Try a little harder in your google techniques, I am sure you can find a link. ;)

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 9:08pm

Don't need Google when I saw firsthand how many cars were there. A rolling three ring circus.

AugustaCounty January 15th, 2010 | 9:59pm

btw, i am a new poster on here. i just "signed up" when this whole Eppard saga began..

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 15th, 2010 | 10:26pm

quote: "You knew going into this position that your employer can hire and fire you”Šso, not sure why there is all this anger."

The anger arises from a decade of intentional and wrongful actions and events against myself by law enforcement after I left the Sheriff's Office. It began as CYOA on their own behalf when they couldn't accomplish what they attempted, and it ended with even more intentional and wrongful actions (retaliation) for my having sued them after their first intentional and wrongful actions in the beginning. Whoever is giving you information about me sure is leaving out a lot of important details, don;t ya think? :)

Every cop I have sued has settled out of court just days before a jury trial. They fight tooth and nail until the jury dates get close. And, I have the biggest and best lawsuit (IMHO) stil pending. We should be able to pin a court date down for a jury trial before the year is over hopefully.

quote: "Three ring circus: I was there and there certainly was not 35 cop shoppe cars on site. We can just agree to disagree on this."

Yes, we agree to disagree.

name (required) February 14th, 2010 | 11:56pm

Dakota wrote "Has anyone herad any further in this tragic incident ."

Maybe if Eppard had thrown snowballs at the cops, or slid his stolen police car off an unplowed road, The Hook would've given its readers an update. Instead other local news covered the story last week under headlines such as "Police Will Not Be Charged..." and "No Indictments Against Officers..." (as if anyone ever thought otherwise).

The only thing that surprises me about it is that the LEO involved were publicly identified.

Dakota February 15th, 2010 | 12:02am

name (required)

Wow , great update . Thanks ,I will dig into it .

HOOK ? are you guys hitting the crack pipe or what :) .

Dakota

ACRONYM January 16th, 2010 | 5:52pm

Skimming the various posts here reminds me that verbiage can often become chloroform disguised as pixels. Someone please wake me when there is a post about the eight (8) videos, a single (1) video, or even an update that is on topic.

Gasbag Self Ordained Expert January 17th, 2010 | 10:33am

AugustaCounty (and others), I hate to go off topic again, but for those of who who have trouble believing cops gang up and conspire, read Reply #13 in this thread link...

And this conspiracy is over nothing more than parking problems during a traffic stop or accident investigation. The typical "us vs them" attitude in modern law enforcement. :)

Reply #10 is quite interesting too. A cop claims he will have civilian friends go into a restaurant and claim they found hair in their food. Conspiracies over such simple things.... imagine what they can and will do in a critical incident.

Dakota January 17th, 2010 | 12:25pm

GSOE

Point taken but I keep trying .

Dakota February 18th, 2010 | 12:32pm

Directed toward GSOE

I intentionally read nothing online for 1.5 day's , one I got sidetracked with work big-time , two I wanted to make sure I said what I have to say as best I can ; very carefully . My original thought's were an essay/rambling .After running it past someone else, it was decided less is more . Something I am not good at with a big mouth like mine .

GSOE

I base my thought's on something you said GSOE somewhere at the Hook about this tragic incident from close to day one . You made a statement that if you knew a couple names involved in this "shooting" you probably would have an idea how fair the outcome would show up after the dust settled . Not in those word's but my understanding of how you felt about the situation .

GSOE, you certainly have the freedom to take me at my word or discount anything I ever say , I respect that . But , I would meet you there at the neat HOOK webcam , shake your hand , hand you my identification and put a person to a screen name ....... look you in the eye when I say I have not the slightest reservation in this tragic incident that the final report you read is factual . When I state factual , be coincidence or just freaky I would run into this online so close to home . I have known within hours of this event the who and a few day's later a real big "who" would be deeply involved with investigating the fact's. If the truth be known ,after I knew two names I personally didn't need to ever know anymore . I understand it doesn't work that way with the general public . I even learned more what it feels like to see the negative dialogue when you want to stand upon the mountain top and scream oh hell no as I wanted to many times over this case . I know the game and the integrity that is needed and I always follow it . I couldn't say a word . So with that I leave two comments .

By coincidence I personally know one of the who's that investigated this tragic event . This person in my opinion is VA finest ! This person has been a by the book representative of VA since they were a rookie cop .This person was the kid that should have been the hall monitor in high school , they always took the high road , even when we made fun of them as kids and called them a dork . Yep I can give this person more than 30 years of reference . But long before this incident I have envied this person's character both as a young person, a fumbly rookie cop and now as the single best representative of Law enforcement this state has to offer in my opinion. People don't get where they are now with out some really strong verifiable integrity . I am glad in this case this person also had eye's on every angle of this investigation with the integrity expected in all cases .

This incident is what it is , tragic this young made made poor decisions that cost him life . Tragic people were given mere second's to make a horrible decision some will emotionally carry with them the rest of their lives ;no matter how many times a trained professional tells "them" they did everything RIGHT , everything they could given the circumstances ! Sometimes even the most right decision will haunt someone for a long time, if not forever.

Now I need to get back to reading , I am a day behind everywhere .

My heart goes out to all involved , this young man and those left behind to sort through it all.

Dakota

Dragon Slayer March 4th, 2010 | 5:47pm

Four ACPD officers are suddenly facing disciplinary actions at the same time, could this be associated to anything other than the Colby Eppard killing.

I'm counting on the Hook to get to the truth. I see 29News has already reportedly filed a freedom of information request.

Albemarle Lifer March 4th, 2010 | 4:50pm

quote from Gasbag in reference to Pat Akins: "I don’t care what any of the newcomers to the debates say, George Bailey ran a good department..."

This is a topic for another discussion, but Gasbag... you should really look into how deeply this cover up really goes before declaring George Bailey (RIP) a saint. I too thought highly of him but it would be strange that with the level of cover up that happened, he wouldn't have had some knowledge of it.

Mike January 28th, 2010 | 3:36pm

mayb he was dumpin a body

AugustaCounty January 14th, 2010 | 10:14pm

...I am still scratching my head on that one Gasbag...between VSP and ACPD there is no where near 35 officers in the area...so that figure of 35 officers on site is so far fetched.

name (required) January 14th, 2010 | 11:19pm

AugustaCounty wrote "I remember that motor home incident very well and there were four (4) ACPD there and two (2) VSP. That would be 6; not 35" and "I was one of the officers involved. Hmm, we barely had 35 officers on the department"

At what point did either the VSP or ACPD have barely 35 officers? Their inceptions?